Like a good bourbon, good books take time
I was having a conversation with my better half this weekend and he wanted to know why there wasn’t a page on my website for all the books by writers I’ve coached and edited who’ve gone on to be published.
He said writers would love to know this, and would love to know I love them back!
He clearly thinks I had not thought of this already ;-)
I explained to him, and I’m now sharing with you, that books. take. time.
Writers, you know what I’m talking about.
Editors, you feel me.
Readers… you have no idea!
We all like to imagine - writers and readers alike - that you write a book and, poof!, it appears!
The reality is that writing and publishing books take time, whether you self-publish or pitch an agent or something in between. Books need to simmer, grow, age, mature, get toasty and fine, and then, finally, you have it in your hands, smelling just heavenly!
Wait… what does that sound like?
Whiskey.
Have you ever gone to a new distillery, and all they have is vodka and gin? They tell you that the whiskey will come… in a few years.
That’s because whiskeys, whether you’re down in Kentucky drinking bourbon or over in Scotland sipping scotch, take time.
Unlike books, which can be unpredictable, whiskeys even have rules about that time.
This, I learned in a most unexpected way…
My husband and I used to be members of a casual whiskey club here in Chicago. Each month, someone chose a different theme, and we shared and sipped and chatted. It was great.
Then it was Steve’s turn… He built an entire PowerPoint presentation on what it takes to make bourbon (true story). It was unexpected. It was long. It was hilarious… And we all learned so much!
So, you may ask, how long does it take to make bourbon?
I now know that straight bourbon whiskey has to be aged for a minimum of two years. To be labeled “bottled-in-bond,” it has to be at least four years. Anything less, and it’s simply not bourbon!
I also spent some time in Scotland this year and went to one of the last distilleries that still malts its own barley, Highland Park. It’s located on Orkney, an island off the north coast of Scotland, and one of my favorite places on earth.
Scotch whisky (yes, copyeditor friends, it is even spelled differently) has its own set of rules, and takes a different amount of time. It has to age for at least three years and one day in Scotland to officially be called "Scotch" whisky.
So, why do I bring all this up?
Because a good whiskey is worth waiting for!
And so is a good book!
So I thought I’d take a moment here to share with you the books that are aging into gorgeous, toasty deliciousness.
I’ve been in business as a coach and editor for less than two years. These are books I’ve been privileged to “taste” along the way. Some you can order or pre-order. Others are still years out. Cheers to all my writers and especially the ones still writing. It’s worth the wait!
The Real Rosalind: The Brilliance of Rosalind Franklin, by award-winning authors Janet Fox and Debbie L. Dunn (Lerner, 2025)
Janet and Debbie’s proposal was one of the first I ever worked on. They are both incredibly successful YA authors in their own right and had come together to tell the amazing story of Rosalind Franklin, the woman who first photographed DNA, for a YA audience.
I had never heard of her before, and you know that nothing gets me more excited than getting more amazing women out there in front of the world. I jumped at the chance to help these two fab ladies bring their incredible subject to life!
Janet and Debbie had all these amazing writing skills but hadn’t tackled anything quite so research-heavy as a biography before. They brought me in to help them sort out what their agent needed, what their YA reader needed, and what Rosalind needed so they could do right by her.
The end result is gorgeous, and I can’t wait for it to come out… in Spring, 2025.
We worked together over a year ago in early 2022. It will be three years before I get to proudly put this book on my shelf and buy copies for my fabulous nieces. And it will be worth the wait.
Watch this space!
The Only Way Through Is Out, by one of my favorite people, Suzette Mullen (University of Wisconsin Press, Spring 2024)
This is a story of where knowledge of the market can make a difference.
I’ll admit, I didn’t have anything to do with Suzette’s writing of her incredible, brave, and necessary story. As a fellow coach, I knew she had been writing and revising and writing and revising some more. She was determined to find a traditional publisher but was finding the pitch and submit and proposal experience neverending.
The challenge of putting your truth-in-book-form out there in the world, and to find it repeatedly ignored or rejected, is not for the faint of heart.
But Suzette, and those of us in her corner, knew this was a book that needed a home.
And it was with that in mind that I suggested a slightly different route…
What many writers outside of academia don’t know (and I suspect many writers inside academia also don’t know this), is that university presses often have imprints that release non-academic books. Many academic publishers have niche specialties that allow them to reach a broader audience in line with some of their bigger values.
It may be that a certain UP produces general nonfiction about their local region, like Bison Press from the University of Nebraska, specializing in books about the American West. Or it may be, as is the case at the University of Wisconsin, they pride themselves on publishing LGBTQ+ memoirs.
And so Suzette, not an academic, pitched them her book. And they loved it!
I can’t wait to get my copy this Spring!
Dames, Dishes, and Degrees, by the dynamic historian Amy Mittelman (Levellers Press, Fall 2024)
Dames, Dishes, and Degrees is Amy’s passion project. Already a scholarly authority on the American beer-making industry, Amy had been working on the story of women’s and university clubs for over a decade when she brought me in in 2022.
She had a complete manuscript and now needed that 30,000ft view because she had spent so long zoomed in on the pages. It’s a common challenge. You know your material so well that you lose sight of how the whole thing works from page one to the finish.
Amy knew the book was right there. All these untold lessons from amazing women and their experiences as spouses, scholars, and community-builders needed their stories told, and she was ready to send it out into the world.
Together, we talked about strategy and planning for her revision and what would make it the strongest in the shortest amount of time (see, there’s “time” again).
The truth is, you can’t rush revisions. They take time.
But time is worth it, and this Summer, Amy found a home for her book with a small regional press. It’s a perfect fit.
Six Figures in School Hours, by the indomitable Kate Toon (Major Street Publishing, 2023)
Kate had a vision as only Kate can. HUGE!
Kate is the digital marketing guru of Australia (yes, the whole continent!), and I’d had the joy of learning from her for a few years before she came to me to ask for help with her book proposal.
She had self-published her first book, but this one was the one that would be bigger, better, and more of a game-changer than her already fab Confessions of a Misfit Entrepreneur. We worked on the basics of her proposal and got the building blocks in place. We talked about target presses and made sure she knew exactly what she needed to reach them.
Not only did Major Street Press jump at the opportunity to bring her fun, brilliant, and necessary book to life, but I just found out this week that they’re already onboard for her next book!!!
Kate Toon, taking over the world one book at a time!
If you are trying to balance your entrepreneurial life and your kids, this book is going to blow your mind! Get a copy today!
So that’s my proud list of published writers I’ve been privileged to support in the first year-ish of coaching. And there’s so much more to come!
I’m looking forward to amazing books by amazing women on leadership and entrepreneurship in the next few years, some on self-empowerment and others on self-discovery; one writer is gifting us her grandmother’s story, and another is going to bravely share her own. Look for a fabulous book on Laura Ingalls Wilder and another on cycling history. There is an education manifesto that will be a game-changer! These and more I know are happening…
It just takes time…
When you’re ready to start the clock on your book, let me know.
If you have an idea for a book and want to figure out how to write it, start here.
If you need a book proposal, I’ve got you here.
If you want a developmental edit for that 30,000 ft view, go here.
And, finally, if you want to gift yourself real time, there’s still one spot left to join me in Athens from October 30 to November 3. Let me know.
Cheers.
Aw, it was SO wonderful to work with you, Caroline!!